Chapter 49

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Valente Merlot was recalling the affectionate scene between Jeth and Lala in the returning carriage.

-- Be happy, Jeth.

In the Merlot family's territory, Jeth had been forced into an unpleasant role.

-- Until I drove that foolish father to his death...

He often thought, with despair, whether this man was truly his father.

He heard the nobles at the ball whispering, pointing at his father, "Is that the fool of the Merlot family?"

His father was so well-known for being a fool that even strangers whispered about him. It was because his father, drunk, had lost a fortune in a card game.

The ridiculous story of the foolish lord's disastrous loss was spread by gossipy ladies and young people everywhere. As a result, every noble in the capital knew about it. It was the first time in the history of the Merlot family that such a disgrace had occurred.

His father had paid a large sum of money with the family's funds.

The wages of the guards and the subsidies provided by the country for purchasing weapons and armor were gone.

It was bad enough, but his father was undoubtedly a fool.

Rather, he should have been denounced and removed at that time. His grandfather was still alive then.

It was regrettable that he couldn't persuade his grandfather.

Valente pretended to be a calm and carefree eldest son to put his father at ease.

He searched for ways to remove his father, hesitated, and missed many opportunities, wasting time.

Yet, he regretted not doing anything.

Jeth had stood between the guards and his father, supporting the territory with all his might.

In the end, his father had chosen a woman with a bad reputation as Jeth's fiancée.

The youngest daughter of a marquis was known for her bad temper and had reportedly branded her maid's face with a hot iron. She had apparently used money to cover up the incident.

It might have been concealed publicly, but people couldn't be silenced.

His father had chosen such a woman.

Fortunately, the engagement did not go through, but when he learned that Jeth had become a royal guard, his father tried to revive the engagement.

-- Because of my hesitation...

It was Jeth that made Valente decide.

He knew that his father's gambling was a greater blow to the territory. He thought he could find a way to raise money, which might have been an escape from reality. Still, he hesitated.

However, when he learned that his father had chosen a woman like a criminal for Jeth, his anger erased his hesitation.

Jeth had earned his position as a royal guard through hard work. He was Valente's proud younger brother. He had chosen a good partner for marriage. His father had deliberately chosen a woman with a bad reputation.

This fact made Valente decide more quickly than his father's numerous gambling incidents.

He prepared meticulously.

He chose the night when the knights were visiting for an inspection.

To keep Jeth uninvolved, it was better for him to be away.

His foolish father had interfered with the guards' activities and argued with Jeth.

Valente calmed his father when he shouted, "You're disowned!" at Jeth.

Jeth, who had returned home on leave, was angry and returned to the capital.

He usually helped enthusiastically with culling the monsters, but this time, he abandoned his foolish father.

His father had also complained about the outer wall.

The outer wall, damaged by a boar-type monster, was repaired by a local mason. Valente had paid extra to prioritize the work.

Valente had rubbed the outer wall with the scent of the boar's favorite food. As expected, the boar rammed the wall. It was angry because there was no food, only the scent.

His father shouted, "If you're going to pay extra, you should have hired a mason from the capital!"

Everyone who could hear his voice winced.

Why should the family's money be paid to a mason from the capital?

There was no reason to hesitate between paying extra to a local mason and paying travel expenses to a mason from the capital.

His father was fundamentally incompetent.

But it was perfect. Valente knew his father would get angry.

His father kept saying, "I wonder if the extra payment was worth it."

He was curious.

But with the knights inspecting the grounds and the guards, and Jeth, his father was in a bad mood. No one was on his side.

It was uncomfortable for him to be openly despised.

Thanks to this, he couldn't go to check the wall.

This was part of the plan. Valente had made sure it would happen. He had delayed his father's work to make him especially busy that day.

That night.

The full moon was about a week away. It was a night when the white outer wall was visible even in the dark.

Valente showed his father a bottle of wine, saying, "A knight friend gave me some good wine as a gift." It was a bottle he had asked a knight friend to prepare.

The contents were a mixture of his father's favorite sweet fruit wine and a high-proof wine called dragon wine.

His father wasn't a heavy drinker, but he wasn't weak either.

He just needed to be tipsy enough to impair his judgment.

Moreover, the sweet fruit wine's scent attracted bat-type monsters, which his father didn't know.

Valente confirmed that his father had taken the leftover wine bottle to his room and returned to the annex with Lysil.

He had already told his father, "You can see the progress of the wall repair from the edge of the balcony."

The balcony was protected by a barrier to keep monsters away. The magical device for the barrier was in its usual place.

However, the edge was weak. He hadn't told his father this.

Especially that day, he had made it weaker. He didn't do any clumsy tricks, just used a nearly depleted magic stone.

The slightly weakened barrier wouldn't be noticeable. In fact, it wasn't a problem.

The barrier was still in place—just a bit weaker than usual.

His drunk father would go to the edge of the balcony from the terrace window.

He would have strained his eyes to see the progress of the repair. He was planning to make the mason return the extra payment if the work wasn't satisfactory. Valente knew his father's character well enough to predict this.

The outer wall wasn't completed yet.

The damaged parts were treated to keep monsters away, so there was no problem.

However, bat-type monsters appeared in their territory. The dark bats flew at night, biting throats and drinking blood.

The next morning, his father was found dead, his throat torn and his body purple from blood loss.

He felt no regret or sorrow, not even a pang of conscience.

It didn't feel real. It seemed like someone else's story.

Jeth might have noticed.

The cowardly father had gone outside at night, which would be suspicious to those who knew him.

Jeth said nothing about his father's death. He only comforted Valente, saying, "I hope you can rest after all the stress you've been through."

There was nothing suspicious in the investigation.

Since everyone, from the servants to the merchants, had heard his father complain about the wall, it didn't seem unusual, and everything was settled.

-- If my serious wife found out, she might despise me.

Well, I intend to take this secret to my grave.

Valente felt relieved that his brother's happy marriage seemed to be coming true and closed his eyes on the carriage seat.

The problem of the increasing number of spotted tusk beasts in the territory would also be resolved.

The meat of that large bull would surely make delicious smoked meat.